Any thoughts about the stunning new UK band The Gift or/and Swiss Pink Floyd inspired band Cosmos? I am thinking of an addition but very curious to your comments, thoughts, recommendations, also about the category.

Just heard the samples of The Gift, sounds as if they were in the borderline of Symphonic and Neo Prog a bit closer to the second.

Melodic, nice. soft by passages while others are close to harder rock with excellent keyboards reminds me of Genesis influenced bands like Pendragon but a bit more pompous in some moments, maybe closer to Magenta instrumental sections.

Won't be sure if to send them to Symph or Neo, but there's no doubt that they are Prog.

Yes Ivan, perfect analysis , that's the reason why I was so curious to opinions from others, this is a great band but hard to categorize, I am also hesitating, symphonic prog or neo-prog..

I tend to say symphonic because the shifting moods and more complex moments/symphonic structures remind me more of symphonic prog than neo-prog. I will aks the band for a biography and an opinion about their music

Yes Ivan, perfect analysis , that's the reason why I was so curious to opinions from others, this is a great band but hard to categorize, I am also hesitating, symphonic prog or neo-prog..

I tend to say symphonic because the shifting moods and more complex moments/symphonic structures remind me more of symphonic prog than neo-prog. I will aks the band for a biography and an opinion about their music

I wouldn't make any problem about having them in Symphonic despíte the influence of Geneis is second hand via Pendragon (Found a lot of similarities with Masquerade Overture) even when what I heard of The gift (My friend in the radio sent me a cassette with a couple of songs because we neve burn CDR's for principle) is much more POMPOUS and LUSH.

Now that as a team we are going to work in Symphonic School and Neo Symphonic will probably be added inside our genre, not as a new sub-genre (To cover the grey area between Symph and Neo), The Gift could fit as a glove there, has some elemnents of both sub-genres almost equally predominant.

But I would like to read the opinion oof the Neo Prog Team also, because I feel they should also be involved in this decision.

All of us accept they have Neo Prog and Symphonic elements, so it'¿s a band in the borderline that divides Symphonic from Neo.

Erik listens Genesis influence as I do, but the difference is that I beklive The Gift uis influenced by a Genesis influenced band like Pendragon while Tuxon listens Arena influence.

None of us is sure exactly where they belong but would be ok in any of both sub-genres, so I wanted to listen your opinion as all the Neo Prog Team members as I will ask all Symph members to give heir opinion.

I don't trust very much in the bands choice when defining themselves, because most of them will say Symphonic due to the wrong believe that Neo Prog is seen by many as a bland form of Symphonic.

There is always a lot of confusion about neo-prog: is it a more melodic, accessible and polished variation on symphonic prog, is it a more rocky and more song-based variation on symphonic prog or is it a more modern sounding variation on symphonic prog with more emphasis on melodic lines and vocals and less on keyboard - and guitar soli? I am very curious to your opinions after you have listened to their samples. But watch out because The Gift is a band with a varied sound with some metal guitar riffs, very spectacular soli on synthesizers but also very mellow parts with warm vocals and soaring keyboards. This variety and elaborate approach have led me to the category symphonic prog because their foundation is more close to 70-77 Genesis than a neo-prog or progmetal band... in my opinion

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